2018-09-25 - VSBA Media Honor Roll Award

The King George County School Board recently nominated Project94 and the Free Lance-Star for a Virginia School Boards Association (VSBA) Media Honor Roll Award. The award is to call "attention to the ongoing responsible and exemplary nature of reporting on this community's public schools." The award itself states:

"The King George County School Board recognizes your fair and balanced reporting on school division and education relation topics. Your work has aided this community in focusing on the goal of providing the best public schools we can for the children who attend them."

We at Project94 are thankful for and humbled by the recognition.

Sarah Snow, Neil Richard, Jeremy Bertz, and Sean Gates all of Project94 and Sara Backstrom of the Free Lance-Star received their award from Tammy Indseth, School Board Chairwoman.

[Photo (c) 2018 by Yvonne Richard. Used with permission.]

2018-09-25 - Planning Commission Public Hearing

2018-09-18 - Board of Supervisors Meeting Notes

by Neil Richard

The Board of Supervisors began their September 18, 2018 meeting at 7:51pm.

First to speak during Public Comment was myself. You can read the lightly redacted comment here.

Next to speak was Jim Hanson who spoke about the same law firm being used to represent the County and the developer in a re-zoning request. He said it "doesn't smell good" and wants to know who's looking out for the County's best interest. He said it was apparent that a law firm can't serve two masters and wondered why they haven't recused themselves or why they haven't disclosed any apparent conflict of interest. He said it was starting to sound like Capital Hill.

Next to speak was Eric Kessler, who had previously spoken during the Service Authority meeting. He said he shared the same concerns as the previous gentleman about the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors and a potential conflict of interest.

Carol Werle approached the podium to speak but got clarification from Richard Granger, Chairman, that there would be an opportunity for Public Comment on the proposed Mixed Use Development (MUD) later in the evening.

Thus concluded Public Comment.

John Jenkins began his Board report by thanking everyone for their comments. He appreciated my suggestions but didn't know the legalities of it and would leave that to the professionals. Regarding the comments about a potential conflict of interest, he said he didn't have any relationship with the developers other than speaking with them which is essential in his role. He said they had no impact on any of his decisions and he had no personal relationship with them.

On September 11th, he attended the Capital Improvement Project (CIP) meeting and felt it was very productive. He said a lot of people spoke and the big topic was the Courthouse which he felt was very high on the priority list. He then joked that saying this was a bit of a Captain Obvious comment.

On the 17th, he attended a George Washington Regional Commission (GWRC) meeting and Fredericksburg Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (FAMPO) meeting. He said broadband connectivity, or the lack of, was a popular topic and that four out of five jurisdictions in the state were not being provided with adequate broadband service. He also said the ability for a County to assess a cigarette tax was discussed but it feels like beating a dead horse because there's always a lack of progress being made.

Jenkins ended his report by reminding everyone that the King George YMCA was hosting a 10th Anniversary Gala on September 21st and it would be a great opportunity for everyone to come out and see him dressed up as Great Gatsby, but he probably wouldn't be dancing.

Jeff Bueche began his report by saying he also attended the CIP meeting on the 11th and that everybody had great presentations. Despite that, he felt that, at the end of the day, there's only so much money to spend. He encouraged citizens to speak up about how that money is spent.

Bueche reminded everyone that in addition to the YMCA anniversary was the Que-Fest on October 6th and 7th at Sealston Park with the Fall Festival the following weekend. Regarding the comments from Kessler, he said thank you for coming out and showing a visual of the water issues in Fairview Beach. He thanked Mike Bennett and the rest of the Board of Directors for their hard work. Bueche said that Ruby Brabo has often said it takes a long time to turn a big ship but he thinks it's turning pretty fast now and they're making good progress. Regarding my comments, he said he concurred with my point that appointees from the Supervisors are extensions of the Board and should be held to the same standards. Regarding the potential for conflict of interest, he said it's currently under legal review and while he wasn't an attorney, the County has a capable one in place with Eric Gregory and he planned to follow his advice. Bueche said that in layman's terms, their representative was advising them on the future Comprehensive Plan while the developer's representative was working on a project under the current Comprehensive Plan.

Ruby Brabo's report began with a long list of meetings she attended, including the Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center Board of Directors on the 5th, National Association of Counties (NACo) on the 7th, and the CIP meeting on the 11th. Also on the 11th, she attended the County employee's picnic and met with Wilson Greenlaw regarding the plans for the former Cameron Hills Golf Course. On the 12th she attended the Emergency Operations Command meeting for Hurricane Florence and on the 17th she attended a COMREL meeting. She said Dahlgren's base command staff is working with her to schedule a Town Hall meeting in the near future to discuss the declassification of the runway and the Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) Program. Additionally, she was informed that the new bridge design for Route 301 was not approved by the Coast Guard.

Brabo said she also attended the same GWRC and FAMPO meetings already mentioned and asked Dr. Young, County Administrator, to see if the County could begin making payments to GWRC twice a year instead of monthly. Brabo said that Federal law now mandates weekend data be included in traffic studies, thus providing better analysis, however Virginia law does not allow this as of yet and will need to be updated to reflect the change. She said another topic of discussion was the inclusion of an estimated cost on a Request For Proposal (RFP) and that it might be a better idea to not include that as it may allow contractors to inflate their prices when not necessary. In other words, she said, costs should be based on materials and labor and should largely be similar across the state.

Brabo said she also attended a Joint Land Use (JLUS) meeting on the 18th and they discussed the possibility of a military overlay district to better control development. They also discussed the need for more housing for transient students on base and that Department of Defense housing requirements make it difficult for local developers to be included in approved housing lists, thus making it difficult for developers to build a viable project such as apartments or condos.

Brabo also presented a slide that showed how much staffing has increased in the Fire, Rescue, and Emergency Services Department. She said the employee count rose from 3 in 1999 to 33 in 2014 and the projected number of employees for 2020 is going to be 65. She said there are employees there, available for staffing but the Supervisors were not in charge of scheduling.

Responding to the conflict of interest comments earlier, Brabo added clarity that the firm in question was not a law firm, but rather a consulting firm. She said the firm, Bagby, Foroughi, and Goodpasture, was hired by the County because the Community Development Department was unable to handle the heavy workload. She added that the Board was unaware of the potential for conflict of interest until they attended the joint meeting with the Planning Commission. She said they were all shocked but they had the County Attorney, Eric Gregory, looking into the situation.

Cathy Binder started her report by stating she also attended the employee picnic and CIP meeting on the 11th. She said the Courthouse project is important and that she's continuing to hear from residents about the potential future use of Cameron Hills. She also thanked everyone that came forward and spoke at Public Comment.

Richard Granger thanked everyone for their public comments and discretion. He thanked me for my email and said he would review it later and entertain recommendations. Jenkins briefly interrupted and asked if it would be good to have Chief Moody come before the Board and discuss staffing and elaborate on scheduling. Brabo said it may be better to have Dr. Young reach out to him first before calling him in front of the Board.

Granger concluded his report by saying he also attended the CIP meeting and that he would defer to Gregory's input regarding any conflict of interest.

The Consent Agenda was approved.

The County Attorney, Eric Gregory, had no report.

Next was the Public Hearing on the proposed Zoning Ordinance text amendment to add Article 14 - Mixed Use Development (MUD) District. Darren Coffey of the Berkley Group presented the end result. It included several highlights such as minimum lot sizes of ten acres, maximum density of 18 units or five single family homes per acre, and various landscaping and architectural requirements. Coffey said certain things would be allowed by right, such as a convenience store, but that there would be certain restrictions like roof height, set backs, and parking.

There were some questions from the Board regarding structure height in relation to what the Fire Department could manage as well as how much open space or commercial space was required. Coffey said despite the Planning Commission voting against the MUD proposal, they did have a lot of effort involved.

Carol Werle opened Public Comment stating that, as the James Madison representative of the Economic Development Authority (EDA), she felt the MUD ordinance needed to be passed. She said that certain businesses, such as a service business, needed a certain level of density to be viable. She said zoning in the County has always been reactive and that project off Indiantown Road was still waiting on zoning after a year. She ended her comment by saying that we have to increase all businesses, not just developments and private residences.

Kim Dodge was next to speak and said she wanted to look at the financial impact. She said there were a lot of places available for her to run her business out of but many of them were too expensive. She said those that were more reasonably priced looked like they should be condemned. Dodge said she wished developers would instead rehabilitate older properties and rent them at affordable rates for a start-up business. She also said she was afraid a MUD project may mean higher taxes for residents as they would need to pay to maintain parking lots and landscaping.

Jim Hanson spoke again, this time citing his concern over a lack of infrastructure in the County. He said after leaving Northern Virginia, King George is like Heaven but it felt like the Supervisors were trying to stuff a ten pound cake in a five pound can. Hanson said the infrastructure isn't there to support Mixed Use and that we needed to manage growth the right way.

Thus ended Public Comment.

Granger said that the overlay district was for the Courthouse Settlement District and that the motivation for the MUD was to bring more commercial activity to the County. He also said that there wouldn't be an increase in taxes because it would not be the County that maintains the property.

Bueche responded to Dodge's comments saying there are a lot of places available to be leased and some are not appealing but this was something different. He also reiterated that it would be the property owner's responsibility to maintain the property, not the taxpayers. Additionally, he said the property owners would need to pay taxes to the County, even if there were no tenants. He said it was simply a tool for a developer to use, but not a requirement.

Jenkins said he felt like it gave the County a chance to create an identity. As far as prices and conditions of what was available, he said it wasn't within their control. Jenkins did say he wanted to see more small business in the County and that this might help with that.

Brabo said she recognized there was an infrastructure issue but that this could be an opportunity to get a developer to pay for capital improvements, just like the Board did with the Walnut Hill developer paying to connect the Owens and Dahlgren water systems. She said with any private property, the owner can set their own rates but even if it sat empty, they still had to pay the County taxes. Brabo said the Board can't make a property owner paint their building a certain color or cut their grass, but the goal was to address complaints from citizens about the lack of a downtown area. She said the Courthouse area doesn't really look like anything and people wanted improvements.

Brabo continued, stating it was the EDA's job to create a program for entrepreneurs and small businesses in the community. While the Economic Development office focuses on larger projects and larger businesses, she said the EDA should focus on smaller businesses.

Brabo then asked the County Attorney if any amendments could be made to the proposed ordinance and at what point would changes require a new Public Hearing process. Gregory said it would depend on what was changed but the removal of the Dahlgren District from the MUD ordinance would be fine along with other minor changes. Gregory said any large, whole-sale change would require starting over.

Brabo said she wanted to change some of the language on Page 12 regarding the application for rezoning. After some discussion among the Board, Gregory, and Coffey, they agreed that changing the wording to require the Zoning Administrator to provide written justification on waivers would be a minor clarification that wouldn't require the process to start over. With that clarity provided, the Mixed Use Development ordinance was approved with the two amendments, one to clarify the written justification needed for waivers and the other to remove the Dahlgren Primary Settlement District.

Next on the Agenda was the Debt Mitigation Plan presented by Kyle Laux of Davenport and Associates. Laux reviewed the plan and suggested language for the financial policy changes. He said that early discussions had 25% of year-end surplus going towards debt mitigation but the Board had reduced that to 10% with the theory that it could always put more towards the debt if needed. Laux said there were some modifications made due to tax code rules which brought about a discussion regarding cash funding versus creating new debt. Primarily due to tax code, the clause in the proposed policy states that funds could be taken from debt funds and used to cash fund a project.

This seemed to cause some confusion among the Supervisors who felt the debt fund should only be used for debt. Laux explained that it was just language that was needed for tax definitions in a rare scenario when it would be better to use those funds to cash fund a project versus taking on new debt which would in turn negate any positive impact the debt fund payment would have. Brabo said that a vote wasn't needed tonight and asked Laux to clarify that the goal is to pay down the debt. Laux said he could certainly take another try at the language and present the changes in the future.

Next was the approval of Hopyard Farm Section 4. Brabo said she thought this policy had changed, meaning the need to come before the Board again, but then she realized the ordinances had not been updated yet. The Board approved the plat.

Next was Lavita Cobb from the Department of Finance who presented a Change Order for the King George Middle School Expansion Project. She said the developer determined that the softball field lights needed to be removed and the cost would be $18,418.31. Cobb said funds were available in the contingency fund of the project to cover the costs. The Board approved the request.

Jeff Jenkins from the Solid Waste and Recycling Department then presented his request to have the County take control of the convenience centers. He said it takes a long time to address complaints as they come to him, then go to Waste Management, then the contractor, then back around again. He said he discussed the issue with Dr. Young and would have taken the proposal before the Landfill Advisory Committee but their meeting had been postponed. He said there was a need for a decision because the current contract ends on November 1st.

Brabo clarified that it wouldn't be an additional line item in the County's Budget because Waste Management would pay the County instead of paying the contractor. She said this would give accountability and service to the citizens of King George.

Bueche asked if these would be full time County employees with benefits and Dr. Young said yes. He said it also means that when he hears complaints from citizens, he can call Jeff Jenkins directly and have the issue addressed quickly. Bueche said "like when I complained about them closing ten minutes before 6pm."

The Supervisors approved the proposal.

Dr. Neiman Young, County Administrator, then asked the Board to adopt the Declaration of Local Emergency Resolution as required by code to end such a declaration. The Board approved.

Dr. Young then addressed the earlier comments about conflict of interest and said the firm in question was not a law firm but a firm that provided planning and engineering services. He said the integrity of his staff and himself were intact and that there have been no gifts or favors. He said the County has a small staff and it was necessary to creatively augment that staff with this firm. In turn, the firm has helped the County save money with the prime example being the increase in fees the County charges. Young said that he and Gregory were looking into the issue and were making plans for a blind review and that a letter was sent to the firm asking them to address the concerns. He said the response is also being reviewed by Gregory so that the issue can finally be put to rest.

Dr. Young asked the Board to appoint Jacque Kobuchi to the Rappahannock Area Community Service Board (RACSB) and the Board approved.

Dr. Young also wanted to publicly praise Lavita Cobb for her hard work. Young said she implemented a new process to auction items off, including several non-functional vehicles and many items at the old Middle School, that resulted in the County seeing over $14,000 in revenue. Binder added her thanks for helping clean up the old school.

Young continued, stating that there was a NACo initiative to help pay for leadership training for employees and the Board had previously agreed to send two employees. Young said he didn't ask for a Board vote at the time but was doing so now. They approved.

Young then came to a confusing scenario that he said arose. He said that in meeting with County staff and developers, they discovered a clerical error in recording plats in Dahlgren. Young said that Hertenstein sold five of twelve lots to Augustine Homes. Augustine Homes began making improvements but then learned that the plat was incorrect. When the plat was previously recorded, it split the large area into 12 lots however, the plat was vacated and should have reverted to the original 120 acre single lot. Because that vacation was improperly recorded, the County continued to assess tax on twelve individual lots. While it sounds confusing, Dr. Young said that he was asking the Board to vacate the original vacation to allow the single 120 acre lot to become the 12 ten acre lots it should be.

Bueche said he wanted to clarify for everyone that his had nothing to do with the previous re-zoning request from Hertenstein and that this was just a clerical error that needed to be corrected. He said it was an administrative error that could be corrected administratively. Gregory concurred, stating it was never intended to record the plat in such a way and that it was a mistake. Gregory again agreed that it was unrelated to the re-zoning request and he didn't see a problem in correcting the mistake.

Brabo asked if there needed to be a vote and Gregory said no, that under state code, things could be handled administratively.

The Board then went into Closed Session at 9:46pm, inviting Dr. Young and Eric Gregory. They returned at 10:00pm.

Brabo added one final comment that the JLUS meeting regarding compatible development could result in a need to hire an outside consultant.

The Board adjourned at 10:01pm.

Meeting Attendees:
John Jenkins (Board of Supervisors)
Jeff Bueche (Board of Supervisors)
Richard Granger (Chairman, Board of Supervisors)
Ruby Brabo (Board of Supervisors)
Cathy Binder (Board of Supervisors)
Neiman Young (County Administrator)
Eric Gregory (County Attorney)

Meeting Agenda

Next Meeting:
The Board of Supervisors will next meet on September 20, 2018 at 6:30 pm at Company 1.

Previous Meeting:
Read about the previous Board of Supervisors Meeting.

2018-09-18 - Service Authority Meeting Notes

by Neil Richard

The King George County Service Authority Board of Directors started their meeting just a couple minutes late on September 18, 2018.

There were no amendments to the Agenda.

Public Comment began with a statement from Yvonne Richard [EDITOR'S NOTE - Neil Richard, a co-founder of Project94, is the spouse of Yvonne Richard.]. She wanted to publicly thank Dan Hingley for his hard work and that of the Service Authority employees and to thank him for bringing all of the issues to light. She said she wasn't happy that there were issues but was glad to see that her complaints and that of other customers were valid. She then reminded everyone that one of the individuals that hid these issues from the rest of the Directors and the customers still sits on the Board and that their attempts to take credit for Hingley's hard work and success was "an affront to the hard work put in by the Service Authority staff." She closed by expressing her concern over the Chairman's negative comments at the last Service Authority meeting about the applicants for the General Manager position. She hoped that future discussions about applicants and employees were held in Closed Session as normally required by a public body. She also felt it wasn't acceptable to have "someone who helped to cover up the issues plaguing  the Service Authority" partake in the interview process.

Next to speak was Eric Kessler of Potomac Landing. He brought some show-and-tell items for the Board to see, including photos of water at his house along with the filter from his whole-house filter system and some water from that system. The filter looked dark brown and black, and the water clearly had visible discoloration and large solids. Kessler said he had only lived in his home for three years and thanked the Service Authority for their improvements but that there were still issues with water quality. He said on the 13th, he took a shower in gross water and brushed his teeth in nasty water in the morning, only to come home to a Free Lance-Star article noting the "amazing" progress on the water system. He and his wife were upset by the article because they felt the progress was less than amazing. He said the shirt he was wearing today was damaged by the water, Kessler said he had to replace the whole-house filter once a month and that several neighbors in Potomac Landing have similar issues with water quality. He said his neighbors also had complaints about the noise coming from the Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP) and had numerous testimonials from neighbors about the poor water. He closed by saying that their concerns had been blown off for years but he appreciated the work that has been done.

Mike Bennett began his Board report by stating that on the 6th, he got an update from Chris Werle about the Service Authority need for an electronic database to track customer issues. Bennett said the good news was that there was already a database. The bad news was it had only been used up until 2014 then neglected for some unknown reason. Bennett said that there was data for all the issues from 2017 and 2018 and that they have been entered into the database.

Bennett then addressed Kessler's comments by saying that he lives in Fairview Beach and knows what brown water looks like. He said the Service Authority has been getting their house in order on the WWTP side and it's taken a large effort to do so. He did say that water quality is still an issue though. Bennett said he's taken a cursory look at the data, specifically looking to see if issues with his neighbors in Fairview Beach are matched with similar issues in Potomac Landing. He said at first glance, there's a correlation.

Bennett continued his report by saying that Werle had asked him to take the lead on researching the potential for the Service Authority to participate in the Virginia Water/Wastewater Agency Response Network (VA WARN). Bennett said this program is a mutual aid program where different agencies help each other with their water and wastewater needs during emergencies and disasters. He said it was still in the early stages of being researched but he felt that Chief Lynd of the Fire, Rescue, and Emergency Services Department should be involved as well as Eric Gregory, County Attorney, Dr. Neiman Young, County Administrator, and the Service Authority's General Manager.

The final part of Bennett's Board report was regarding the future meeting with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality's (DEQ) Water Control Board. He said numerous actions have been taken on the WWTP side and there has been great improvement. He felt they've done everything they humanly can to this point to rectify the issues and felt it was obvious that the Service Authority was in a better place. He also hoped that Water Control Board would see the fine as sufficient punishment.

Richard Granger's Board report was brief as he thanked those that spoke during Public Comment. He appreciated the concerns of Mr. Kessler and said he was sorry he had to deal with that.

Ruby Brabo began her report by briefly going back to Bennett's VA WARN topic. She said there may not be an answer right now but wanted to know if there was a way to limit or choose who the mutual aid agreement is with. Werle answered and said yes, it's all voluntary. Brabo then stated she wanted to make sure the Service Authority could handle any request for mutual aid before signing up. She said if they were unable to reciprocate, it may foster sour feelings with other agencies and localities. Werle said that's why they would look at it carefully before committing.

Brabo continued her report saying that she would tour the Oakland Park and Purkins Corner WWTPs. Addressing Mrs. Richard and Mr. Kessler, Brabo said she's been just as frustrated as them, especially when citizens have been told in the past that everything was fine when in fact it wasn't. She was really happy to have Dan Hingley as General Manager now, listening to customers and delving into issues along with a staff that was addressing problems.

Cathy Binder thanked Kessler and Richard for their comments and said she had recently toured two WWTPs and would tour more in the future. She said she knows it doesn't help them now but they are working on the issues.

Chris Werle said he's been working with staff and Hingley over the last two weeks to continue working on the Waterworks Business Operations Plan form the Virginia Department of Health (VDH). He felt confident that they would be able to complete the first three sections as promised and will provide an update to the Board at the next meeting.

Werle thanked Kessler for coming out and speaking. He said what Kessler presented was quite disturbing and was a powerful message. He was optimistic that Hingley would be able to finally assess and determine the cause of the issues in Fairview Beach and elsewhere.

Bennett added to Mr. Kessler that he wanted to mention there were issues with the water and that the Service Authority needed as many people to call about them. He said he's guilty himself of assuming his neighbors will call but for the database of customer complaints to work, they need to have customers call with their issues. Bennett said the newer pipes in Potomac Landing negated the old argument about old pipes being the cause of poor water.

Kessler responded from the audience that the Potomac Landing Home Owner's Association (HOA) gave out magnets with phone numbers for the Service Authority but when they tried calling, nobody answered. He said the great thing about Chris Thomas was he would always answer his cell phone and fix the issue right away, almost like a hotline.

Bennett responded that ideally, customers shouldn't have to call the General Manager but they did need to call. Brabo added that the county website did have the correct phone number.

Dr. Young interrupted with a point of order, advising the Board that they couldn't have a back and forth conversation.

The Consent Agenda was approved.

Werle then introduced the need to form a committee to hire a new General Manager. He said up to this point, Brabo and Bennett have taken the lead in this effort and would like to suggest they continue to do so. He also suggested that Dr. Young and Amanda Sumiel, Director of Human Resources, also be on the committee. Granger nominated those four individuals. Dr. Young suggested Werle be on the committee due to his higher level of expertise. Brabo said there can't be three Directors on the committee and Werle said he can reserve his input for the next phase. The nominations were approved. Bennett added that he was disappointed Hingley didn't submit an application.

Dan Hingley, Interim General Manager, then gave his report. Though slightly shorter than previous reports, it still had an attention to detail and level of professionalism that was welcomed by those in the audience. Hingley began his report by saying he wanted to echo the sentiments of the Board and thank those that spoke during Public Comment. He thanked Mrs. Richard for her kind words and told Mr. Kessler that his concerns are taken seriously. Hingley said there are issues that were more pressing that had to be addressed first but the issues in Fairview Beach and Potomac Landing are certainly on the radar.

Getting into his presentation, Hingley said the Service Authority has sent letters to DEQ regarding their recent corrective actions. On the Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP) side of operations, he said the Dahlgren WWTP continues to show improved Total Nitrogen (TN) and Total Phosphorus (TP) levels but there won't be enough time left to meet the yearly limits. The Hopyard WWTP may be able to reach the yearly limit for TP but it would be difficult. The Fairview Beach WWTP shows improving TP but also won't be able to meet yearly limits. Hingley also said the installation of Dissolved Oxygen sensors is making progress. The Purkins Corner WWTP may not be able to meet yearly limits for TP and TN but they are within ten percent of goal. Hingley said Oakland Park WWTP had no issues thanks largely to the hard work of Tim Maciejewski.

Bennett added that the letters to DEQ regarding progress at WWTPs were extremely detailed and probably the most chemistry he's ever read. He said it was a great explanation of why things were not operating within permit levels and also gave a great roadmap for the future.

Hingley continued his presentation with the water side of operations. He said by better managing chlorine batches, they've been able to reduce the number of visits by staff from daily to every two weeks, thus freeing them up to complete other tasks. Hingley said they're also looking into the newly populated database of customer complaints to identify trends.

Werle added that the original database had 1,700 records.

Hingley continued that VDH will conduct well inspections in October for the Courthouse, Canterbury, Fairview Beach, and Hopyard systems. The Canterbury system now had both wells operational. The Circle system had a second booster pump installed. The Fairview Beach system had a second well brought online but the filter system still needed to be assessed. The third well was also being worked on to bring it online but the filter backwash controls were not working.

Werle asked if he had an idea how much that repair would cost and Hingley said it would likely be a capital intensive project and that's why they didn't bring the third well online to start with. Bennett asked if the third well was needed and Hingley said yes. He said that the permit states what needs to be used so if a certain number of booster pumps is listed on the permit, then that number needs to be available for use. Same with storage, wells, etc. Hingley said the biggest issue is having the backup available. Essentially, they would get a Notice Of Violation (NOV) for not having a backup well but may not get an NOV for not having the third well available.

Bennett asked if the third well could be removed in the future. Hingley said that VDH wouldn't begin that process, it would be up to the Service Authority to pursue it but that he would not recommend doing that. He felt that would limit the system to just two wells going forward.

Hingley continued his report by saying the Hopyard water system had the second well placed back into service leaving the system with just one well out of service. He said the current capacity was 300,000 gallons per day but demand was only 50,000 gallons per day so there was plenty of capacity available. On the St. Paul/Owens water system, the interconnect was made previously and repairs were made to the air controls. Hingley said he would be meeting with the Walnut Hill developer regarding the future connection to the Dahlgren water system. Hingley said the Courthouse water system, currently split into east and west sections, had two out of three wells working on the west side and two out of two wells working on the east side. The goal to connect both sides was making progress with the underground utilities having been marked but they were currently waiting on proposals.

Brabo then asked about the water leak on Dahlgren Road. She said she's received several complaints from citizens who see it as a waste and the road is beginning to sink. Hingley said it is a waste to produce water and not give it to customers. He said it was one of several leaks that they were not able to handle in-house due to the complexity of the issue and lack of heavy equipment. Hingley also said that the rain has been a challenge in finding some of the more critical leaks but that this leak on Dahlgren road and the one in front of Potomac Elementary School would be fixed in the next week or two.

The Board then went into Closed Session at 7:20pm with Dr. Young, County Administrator, and Eric Gregory, County Attorney being invited along with Kyle Laux and Griffin Moore from Davenport and Associates.

The Board returned from Closed Session at 7:47pm and adjourned one minute later.

Meeting Attendees:
Christopher Werle (Chairman, Board of Directors)
Dan Hingley (Interim General Manager of Service Authority)
Richard Granger (Board of Supervisors)
Michael Bennett (Citizen)
Ruby Brabo (Board of Supervisors)
Cathy Binder (Board of Supervisors)
Neiman Young (County Administrator)
Eric Gregory (County Attorney)

Meeting Agenda

Next Meeting:
The Service Authority will next meet on October 2, 2018 at 6:30 pm at the Revercomb Building.

Previous Meeting:
Read about the previous Service Authority Meeting.

2018-09-19 - Wetlands Board Public Notice

OPINION - Citizen Budget Advisory Committee - Capital Improvement Program

by Neil Richard

The King George County Board of Supervisors met with the Citizen Budget Advisory Committee On September 11, 2018. Unfortunately, I was the only Committee member to show. I would guess the rest of the Committee thought the last meeting was the end. Thankfully, those that presented to the Board all had solid cases for their future improvement projects with data and personal stories to prove their needs.

The meeting began with a brief detour from the planned Agenda when Dr. Neiman Young, County Administrator asked the Board to consider declaring a local state of emergency. There was some discussion as to if it needed to be done now and what the implications were for such a declaration. Dr. Young said that he could declare a local emergency without Board approval but preferred that the Supervisors make the decision since they were already in a meeting together. As for what it meant to the residents of King George, Young said it gave him some extra purchasing power for equipment as well as the ability to determine what staff was necessary to have on duty but that he would still need to answer for his actions to the Board within 15 days. With the Supervisors planning to meet at a regular Board meeting on the 18th, they felt comfortable with voting to declare a local emergency.

Dr. Young then went into the meat of the meeting by giving an overview of the topics for the evening. Each department with a Capital Improvement Program (CIP) project was there to present why there was a need, how much it was projected to cost, and what the planned timeline was for the project. Young said each department head had already presented their requests to the Planning Commission and the Finance Department. Both groups ranked the severity or level of need for each project and it was now time for the Board to hear the same presentation.

The first presentation was the proverbial elephant in the room; the Courthouse. Each of the seven individuals that spoke on the topic were in favor of a new building for the Courthouse. Three judges spoke about the need for increased security for themselves, witnesses, jury members, and attorneys. One Judge said he sentenced a man to prison and when he left the Courthouse, the man's wife was smoking a cigarette next to his car. He said while there was no incident that occurred that day, he worried that something could happen in the future. Another Judge said that when he started working in King George, he found mold growing on the law books in his office. There were also concerns about prisoners walking down a hallway past the judge's office, witnesses sharing a hallway and lobby with defendants, and that victims of crimes, including children, didn't have the necessary privacy to consult with their attorneys.

The list of issues grew when several stated that humidity was an issue inside. One attorney said she emptied the five dehumidifiers in her office daily while a court clerk said she had three dehumidifiers and had to empty them just as often. They said running reports in the morning was an issue because the increased humidity made the printers not feed paper correctly, sometimes causing delays.

Vic Mason, Clerk of the Circuit Court, summed up the Supervisor's dilemma nicely by stating that it "isn't politically popular to spend money." At a projected cost of $32 million or more, it is a lot of money to spend. But it was clear that there was a need for a new building, and several that spoke, including Sheriff Dempsey, said the Courthouse was a symbol of the County and its citizens.

Of those speaking about the current situation at the Courthouse, none mentioned that the current building was built nearly 100 years ago and has been modified and expanded several times. It is also the third Courthouse in the history of the County and, as one person stated, it has served its purpose and lived well beyond its useful life.

Dr. Young said that he regretted his failure to inform Dr. Benson, Superintendent of King George County Schools, about the CIP Meeting but would make sure he was given time to present his requests in the future.

Next up was Sheriff Dempsey who had a laptop replacement, radio communications system, and the tail end of a lease contract on his CIP request. Ruby Brabo asked if Dempsey could begin a staggered purchasing plan going forward so the expense could be spread out over several years. The Sheriff also gave some extra detail on the communications system he was asking for, saying that King George was one of the last counties in the area to use the older system. He said the new setup, a trunking system, would allow King George to better communicate with surrounding localities.

Chief Moody of the County's Fire, Rescue, and Emergency Services followed the Sheriff and asked for a new Ambulance, new fire stations, a new brush truck, and new AED units. This is a perfect time to remind readers that these are future requests and not set in stone. So when I say Chief Moody asked for new fire stations, he was simply telling the Board of Supervisors that there would be a need in the future to replace the station house in Dahlgren and to build a new station house in the Shiloh District. The idea behind the CIP discussion is to be forward-thinking and to plan ahead. Jeff Bueche asked for more details on the brush truck, as well as other vehicles in the Chief's fleet. Bueche said he had heard questions from constituents regarding the need for mini-vans or cars that didn't appear capable of responding to emergencies. Moody said those were purchased with grants or left over funds and were used by volunteers for official business, such as going to training sessions. Moody said his goal was to reduce the financial burden on volunteers.

Tim Smith, Director of Parks and Recreation, then gave his presentation on the five projects he was looking at in the future. His first project, revitalizing the old animal shelter at Brooks Park, met with some resistance. However, it appeared by the end of discussion, the minor cost of $50,000 to turn the building into an education center met with approval. The tennis courts, located between the Middle School and High School, was also subject to discussion as to how it would be repaired. Lighting at Barnesfield Park, infrastructure improvements at Brooks Park, and an expansion at Sealston Sports Complex rounded out the list. Although those projects were slated for funding far into the future, the desire for a new Community Center, or Citizen's Center, was also on the list but not given a time frame. Smith said it was certainly needed and several Supervisors said they had heard complaints by residents not being able to use it because it was already booked.

Next up was Chris Dines, Director of Information Technology. His CIP list included new cabling and fiber optic lines, a new server, and a future switch for cloud-based functionality. Dines said the cabling improvements were to avoid leaks and the fiber optic lines would provide a redundant system for emergency operations. The new server would provide an off-site storage location with cloud-based access. All of these improvements would help County offices continue to function in the event of an emergency or disaster.

Dr. Young was the last to present, telling the Board that the County's current financial software would not be supported in the future and would need to be replaced. There was also discussion about the decommissioning of the Purkins Corner and Oakland Park Wastewater Treatment Plants. The Board felt like these facilities may not be as bad off as they were told in the past. Dr. Young also said the proposals came in too late to be included, but he was making progress in locating a company to digitize the County's records.

The evening wound down with some discussion of fund balances. While the audit is still in progress, there looked to be a little money left over at the end of the year. Dr. Young also told the Board that Wilma Ward, Director of Finance, had done a deep scrub of some old capital fund accounts and found some money left over. Ward said it wasn't a lot of money, but the capital projects had been completed so the funds were no longer needed. The biggest chunk of money was the funding set aside for a gas line into the Industrial Park that would no longer be pursued. This money, roughly $2.7 million, would be re-appropriated into the Capital Fund for future projects.

In the end, the biggest project, physically and financially, on the radar was a new Courthouse. Having been built decades ago and expanded and renovated numerous times, the general consensus from the Board was that repairing it again wasn't an option. While they still wanted to look at other options, such as using the old Middle School, they did understand the need for a new facility. And while the other projects may seem far off or smaller in scope, the Board appeared to be dedicated to being as fiscally savvy as possible while meeting the needs of as many as possible. With the old Middle School now belonging to the County, it was also considered as a future location for the Citizen's Center. While no final decision has been made on that building, or any future project, it felt good to see the Board looking at the current needs but also the future needs.

2018-09-12 - Public Notice Regarding Hurricane Florence

2018-09-04 - Board of Supervisors Meeting Notes

by Neil Richard

The King George County Board of Supervisors began their meeting at 8:08pm in a room that was quite warm and humid due to a technical issue with the A/C system.

There were no amendments to the Agenda.

Public Comment began with Linda Peterson speaking about the proposed shooting range across the road from her farm on Salem Church Road. Richard Granger, Chairman, asked her to speak a little louder as it was hard to hear her. Peterson continued that she had three points to make with the first being that the area was agricultural and rural and that the County saw fit to designate the Shiloh area as low growth. Having lived on her farm for 35 years, she said visitors to her farm often remark on how quiet it is. She said she found it amazing because to her, it was just normal. Her second point was about noise pollution. She said there's already a shooting range in King George and her friends that live near it, hate it. She has other friends that live three miles from the Stafford County range and they complain about the noise. Peterson said that people travel to state parks for peace and scenery but they don't go there for the loud noise. She said noise is not restful and can cause stress, a leading cause of health problems. Her final point was to simply ask if they, the Board, would welcome a shooting range across from their house. Peterson said once a change like this is made, it can never be reclaimed and is asking the Board to not allow a shooting range to be established at the site of the former Cameron Hills Golf Course.

Next to speak was Rob Neal, a resident of Bald Eagle Drive. He said he had already spoken to Dr. Young, County Administrator, and Supervisors Ruby Brabo and Cathy Binder. He said they were kind enough to have a Town Hall where the developers could explain their intentions. He said after the Town Hall, his question was how could he prevent this development and was told he had to speak to the Board of Supervisors. He said he had already spoken with Binder but wanted to speak to the whole Board. Neal said he can't stand it that he only has three minutes to speak on something that impacts what he's spent most of his adult life building. He said he prays that the Board doesn't have to wake up to learn a shooting range is opening across the street from them. He said he's passionate about it because it's his home and if he can't fight for it, it's not worth fighting for. He finished by saying he'll probably see a lot them and asked that they not let this happen to their quiet neighborhood.

Koontz Campbell was next to speak saying that her understanding about the proposed shooting range and something that concerns her is that there will be a campground with campers and drinking along with the shooting range. She said she didn't think it was a good combination and that it wasn't a good fit in an agricultural neighborhood.

Billy Clift then introduced himself as a lifelong resident of King George. He said he wasn't prepared to speak tonight but wanted to agree with his neighbors about the shooting range. He said he grew up here and growth will happen but he chose his home in the Shiloh area because of the lack of growth that was planned for that district. He said each individual property owner has a right to do what they want on their own property until it impacts those outside. He closed by saying there was no benefit to this kind of development.

Jim Lynch then spoke, starting off with a comment that he was also unprepared to speak like Mr. Clift. He said he had one thought on the matter. If this piece of property was given a special exception to operate as a golf course, then anything else that takes it's place should not make any more noise than a golf course.

 John Jenkins began his Board Report by apologizing for his new attire. Before the meeting started he removed his jacket and tie. He said he just couldn't take the heat anymore. He then thanked everyone for coming out and speaking and that it gave him a lot of things to think about before any proposal comes across his desk. Jenkins said he attended a Virginia Association of Counties (VACo) regional meeting and was promptly interrupted by a loud motorcycle going down the road. A few members in the audience said "noise" loudly as if to draw attention to the potential noise from a shooting facility. Dr. Young got up and closed the window that had been opened in an effort to provide a breeze, much to the dismay of the Supervisors.

Jenkins continued his report by saying that the issue of developer's proffers was discussed at the meeting. He then moved to appoint Betsy Stevenson to the Smoot Library Board and James "Beau" Beaudette to the Wetlands Board. Both appointments were approved.

Jeff Bueche's report started with his attending Fairview Beach Day celebration, the unofficial last day of summer, and he said it was nice to be able to talk to all the families there. He said on the way home from the event, he stopped at Caledon State Park and enjoyed speaking to volunteers there and commented that the parking lot was full of cars despite the heavy rain. Bueche said he spoke to the residents of Potomac Landing on September 3rd and reminded residents that he was willing to come out and speak to any residents association. He said he was willing to reach out and engage with the public.

Bueche said on a separate note, while he wasn't on the Service Authority Board, he was proud of how the County operates. He said the meeting began with everyone standing for a prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance and he wasn't sure that was necessarily the case everywhere but that it was wonderful to see here. He also thanked the Service Authority Board for what they've done and echoed Brabo's comments from that meeting that when he began attending meetings in 2013, the Service Authority Board would have meetings that lasted barely five minutes. He said that he is not a customer and that was why he appointed Mike Bennett to serve in his place on the Board. He said it was frustrating to get information in those extremely short meetings but felt that customers are now getting their due service. He said that learning things now may be hard but he was optimistic about the future.

Ruby Brabo began her lengthy report by stating that she helped host a Town Hall with Cathy Binder on August 11th. She added that the Ogneks, the current owners of the former Cameron Ridge Golf Course, have some things they can do by-right. But she said that all too often citizens are too late in getting engaged and that, while there was no proposal before them, the Board does appreciate them voicing their concerns this early. She continued her report by saying she attended a joint Planning Commission meeting on the 14th, a conference call regarding the ChemBio move on the 15th, and a VACo summit on the 16th. She attended a VACo Board of Directors meeting on the 17th and then went on vacation from the 19th through the 23rd. She said this vacation was the reason her report was longer than normal as she was making up for lost time.

Brabo said she attended a National Association of Counties (NACo) conference call on the 24th and another VACo meeting on the 30th. She mentioned that there is a lot of property for sale that can be developed but developers continue to purchase property and seek to have it rezoned. She said for her to vote in favor of rezoning, she needs to know that it is what the citizens want. She then moved to have Marsha Stonehill appointed to the Economic Development Authority (EDA) and it was approved. Brabo reminded the Board that there was a meeting set for next month regarding the ChemBio move and it was being organized by the Fredericksburg Chamber of Commerce. She discovered that all of the surrounding counties involved in the discussions were scheduled for separate meetings instead of one meeting and felt that was a red flag.

Cathy Binder repeated much of the same report she gave at the Service Authority Board meeting, stating that she attended the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) training session on the 27th and 28th. This training was for operators of Sewage Treatment Plants and although she wasn't an expert, she felt she learned a lot about the process of running a wastewater treatment facility. She said during the training she had "the pleasure of meeting with several operators of King George's sewage plants." She said they were dedicated workers who were excited about the training as these opportunities were not available in the past. She repeated that the past work environment didn't allow for the staff to necessarily provide the best service they could but she felt with the recent changes, things were on the right track.

Binder also commented that she has been listening to everyone about the proposed shooting range in her district and absorbing all of the information. She said she has not made any decision but is continuing to listen to everyone's concerns. She said she did recently drive down Bald Eagle Drive and noted how close the golf course was and how small Salem Church Road was. She closed by saying she hopes a solution can be found but will continue to listen to residents.

Richard Granger started by saying he wanted to echo Brabo's comment on thanking citizens for coming out early and getting involved. He said the Board relies on citizens to help them make wise and informed decisions and asked anyone that wanted to discuss it further to reach out to him. Granger said he attended a Fredericksburg Regional Alliance meeting and got to go on a tour of the rail gun facility at Naval Support Facility Dahlgren. He said that despite being a base employee, he has never had the chance to see it. He said at a recent VACo meeting they discussed impact fees being assessed for developers and felt that was a great idea to pursue as it may help mitigate the infrastructure costs of new developments. He asked Eric Gregory, County Attorney, if he could look into that so the Board could have a better understanding of what they can do. Gregory said he could research it. Granger closed his comments by again thanking everyone for coming out and weathering the heat in the Board Room.

The Consent Agenda was approved.

The County Attorney, Eric Gregory, did have a report regarding a proposed Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) for the Dahlgren Railroad Heritage Trail (DRHT). He said the owner of the private trail, David Brickley, and the Friends of DRHT, which maintains the trail, have proposed an agreement for the County to become involved, primarily by taking on a management role [EDITOR'S NOTE - Neil Richard, a co-founder of Project94, is the Treasurer of the Friends of DRHT.]. He said he has been asked to review the MOU and is awaiting input from the Supervisors before pursuing further feedback from the owner. Gregory said the County will indemnify the land owner as state code allows and that the County will also have some immunity. Brabo asked if it was similar to what is in place for other County owned and operated parks and Gregory said it was. Gregory mentioned insurance coverage for liability and the County would eventually have to respond to loss claims. Brabo asked if he could get more information on the last five years to see if any claims had been filed at other parks in the County.

Gregory said he was waiting on responses from the rest of the Supervisors before he could move forward and Brabo suggested that everyone give comments before the next meeting so they can approve a revised draft to send back to Brickley. Bueche said his only concerns were that he wasn't sure if the Parks and Rec department had given feedback and if the Friends of DRHT would maintain the trail. Dr. Young answered by saying the Friends of DRHT would continue to maintain the trail and that Tim Smith, Director of Parks and Rec, was excited to take on a new asset.

Dr. Neiman Young, County Administrator, then presented his request for the Board to approve local funding for King George to continue to be part of the Rappahannock Area Health District (RAHD). Young said the funds were already approved and appropriated in the County's FY19 Budget. The Board approved his request.

Dr. Young then said he didn't plan on having anything to report but he had just learned that Chiefs Moody and Lynd of the Fire, Rescue, and Emergency Department were awarded an $8,000 grant to fund rapid response kits at many schools and County buildings. He said these kits were designed to provide equipment in a crisis, such as an active shooter situation.

Brabo made one final comment when Dr. Young was finished, saying that localities continue to get unfunded mandates from the state and that every time the County saves money, they have to spend it on things mandated by the state. She said that maybe it was time for residents to talk to their elected state representatives to tell them they're tired of the unfunded mandates. Brabo said three were right here in King George, Delegates McDougle and Ransone, and Senator Stuart.

Bueche added that, in line with what Brabo had said, he was concerned about the Medicaid expansion and what it would mean to the two year budget plan. He said it would hit County and school employees hard and that the County would have to cover part of those costs. He asked if the next budget cycle could include those changes to make it a more realistic plan.

There was no Closed Session.

The meeting adjourned at 8:53pm.

Meeting Attendees:
John Jenkins (Board of Supervisors)
Jeff Bueche (Board of Supervisors)
Richard Granger (Chairman, Board of Supervisors)
Ruby Brabo (Board of Supervisors)
Cathy Binder (Board of Supervisors)
Neiman Young (County Administrator)
Eric Gregory (County Attorney)

Meeting Agenda

Next Meeting:
The Board of Supervisors will next meet on September 11, 2018 at 6:30 pm at Company 1.

Previous Meeting:
Read about the previous Board of Supervisors Meeting.

2018-09-04 - Service Authority Meeting Notes

by Neil Richard

The Service Authority Board of Directors Meeting got off to a bumpy start at 6:30pm. The Board Room was warm and humid due to an issue with the cooling system and Chairman Werle's microphone wasn't working. After a few words from Ruby Brabo reminding him that a working microphone was necessary for those watching from home to hear, Chris Werle borrowed a microphone that worked.

There were no amendments to the Agenda and no Public Comment.

Mike Bennett began his report by stating he participated in a conference call on the 23rd with the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) along with Jerry Gouldman, the Service Authority's Chief Water Plant Operator, and Julie Floyd from VDH, regarding the Waterworks Business Operations Plan. Bennett said the Plan is a management tool that is required to be in place and requires a lot of work and information. He said Werle volunteered to work on the over 60 page document. He said the plan was to work on it in bite-sized pieces until it is complete. Bennett also said that in reviewing the Plan, they discovered there were several pieces of information that they didn't know existed and appreciated Werle taking the lead on getting it completed.

Bennett continued his report by saying he met with Dan Hingley, Interim General Manager, and a potential developer for a new Potomac Landing section in Fairview Beach. Bennett said he appreciated Hingley attending on short notice and for being so polite and professional while answering questions. Bennett said the proposed plan for an additional 87 homes has yet to come before the Planning Commission. He also said that if the plan was approved and the homes were connected to the existing Fairview Beach system, it would mean an additional million dollars in revenue for the Service Authority.

Bennett also talked with Chris Werle and the management of AQUA regarding the ability to track customer complaints. Bennett said it was important to him to track these issues and look for trends. He said during the February 3, 2018 Town Hall, the members of the Fairview Beach Residents Association volunteered to collect data but were ignored by Service Authority management. He said one of his neighbors submitted a Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA) request and was given a USB drive with over 100 PDF files, each one being an individual complaint. Bennett said he thinks there should be a better way of doing this, especially electronically, to track and search complaints and analyze them for trends.

Richard Granger had no report.

Ruby Brabo said that regarding the customer complaint data, it also becomes a record of repetitive complaints over time which currently seems to be lacking. She said this is especially the case when there is turnover with staff and management. Brabo then asked about the Potomac Landing Expansion and if there was a need for capital improvement, suggesting that if the Walnut Hill developer was able to make improvements, maybe this developer can too. Hingley said it was a topic of conversation, and that the new wastewater lift station may be needed but there are other options that may make it unnecessary. He said that it was too soon to tell right now. Bennett added that the development would essentially go up Potomac Landing Drive towards Route 218 and that the proverbial rule that stuff flows downhill really is true. And in this case, it may not flow to the right place. He also said that the water supply may require a booster pump and that the developer was concerned about getting the right water pressure at fire hydrants.

Brabo said the County is doing their best to not contribute to debt but maybe the developer is willing to work with us like the Walnut Hill developer. She also recommended including Eric Gregory, County Attorney, in future meetings to ensure there were no violations of proffer laws.

Brabo then continued that they had received 21 applications for the General Manager's position. She recommended that the hiring process should be modeled after what the County used to hire the County Administrator. Brabo then went on to give details on how that process worked. Werle said he looked at the first eight applications that came in and only one was even remotely qualified. Brabo also recommended that by the next meeting everyone come up with ten interview questions.

Cathy Binder said she attended the two day training session hosted by the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) for treatment plant operators. She said she was no expert but had a much better understanding of how the plants work. She also said she had the pleasure of meeting many of the operators. She said some of the employees told her that training opportunities like this were not always available to them and that there was a lack of trust in the past but it has been improving.

Chris Werle began his report by saying that he met with Dr. Young and representatives from Draper Aden and Davenport on the 22nd regarding an infrastructure inventory report. On the 23rd he also attended the VDH meeting about drinking water and said the previously mentioned Waterworks Business Operations Plan would help the Service Authority operate as more of a business. He said it was an exhaustive report and each section is very detailed. Werle said he hoped to have the first three sections completed by the end of the month. He proposed that once the entire Plan was finished, to present it to the Board but cautioned it was a living document.

Werle continued that on the 27th and 28th he also attended the DEQ training session and looked forward to the second phase of training. On the 31st, he met with senior management to discuss management changes so far and the potential database for customer complaints. He said it would help identify systemic issues in the future. Brabo asked if the database would be maintained once it was finally compiled. Werle said there are already two administrative personnel on staff. He said it shouldn't require any extensive training but would take time to enter in historical data. Brabo asked if these staff already get these customer complaints, including after-hours calls. Werle said they already get the information and Hingley added that work orders are already tracked, just not compiled in one place. Bennett also added that there may not be as much detail in the historical data but going forward there's an opportunity to get more detail.

The Consent Agenda was approved.

The County Attorney, Eric Gregory, had no report.

Dan Hingley, Interim General Manager, provided an update that he said would be similar to those he had presented in the past. The biggest news out of his lengthy report included reduced oversight by DEQ due to improved system operations. DEQ had previously stipulated that the Service Authority provide weekly updates but after one month have rescinded that in favor of the typical monthly reporting. Bennett added that "in one month, DEQ has lightened up" because of the improvement they've seen. He offered Hingley kudos for making that happen.

Hingley continued his presentation offering similar detailed updates on all the wastewater and water supply facilities, offering answers to various questions from the Board, and graciously accepting high praise from the Board for his hard work. His report included new Notices of Violations (NOVs) from VDH regarding missed sampling for the first two quarters. He said these Most Probable Number (MPN) samples were taken for the third quarter after new management, including himself, were put in place. He also said that even though these are violations, they are largely administrative in nature and there is no danger to the water supply. As Hingley was updating everyone on the Circle water system, Brabo suggested that the County Administrator note that it was at capacity, zoned commercial, and should be factored into the future Comprehensive Plan. Bennett also asked if a sampling schedule had been created to avoid future NOVs and Hingley said a schedule was created and available at all facilities.

On the water side of the Service Authority, Hingley noted that a trend was the lack of redundancy in functional wells. He said that several systems did not have the necessary number of wells available for use as required by their respective permits. Brabo asked if the wells had to be in use and Hingley said it was an administrative choice if the wells were used all the time or not. He said the permit only requires that back-up wells be available should there be a need. He cautioned that the biggest issue was that without a redundant or back-up system in place, it created a single point of failure. Hingley said this was the case in the recent Saft well failure in Dahlgren last month.

There was a lengthy discussion regarding the wells and media filters in Fairview Beach. Hingley said the hatch used to inspect the filter media was not able to be opened and therefore it could not be put online yet. Bennett asked if the problem was caused by the wells being taken off-line and Hingley said not necessarily. Werle added that ongoing repairs and maintenance could have prevented this.

Hingley's update on the Courthouse water system included a plan to reconnect what he called the "east" and "west" sides as they once were and should be now according to the permit. He said this system received an NOV from VDH for this disconnect and is making plans to correct it with a new interconnect line. Werle asked if that was still going to be a 650 foot section of pipe and Hingley said it was but they were still waiting on the estimate. Brabo commented that this is proof that citizens who had lived in the area and complained repeatedly about water issues in the past were lied to. She said this was perfect evidence that customers were misled when statements were made that if the YMCA water was fine then their water must be fine too. Brabo said she found it extremely disturbing that the Board and residents were misled. Werle agreed and Brabo said she felt that it just needed to be on the record. Hingley said the project is waiting on VDH approval but expected it to pass through as a maintenance project just fine.

Hingley commented that he was not quite halfway through the 120 day contract and hoped that enough progress had been made with the Service Authority to ensure it continues to comply and continues to provide full transparency. Werle said he felt everyone would agree that the progress has been "nothing short of amazing."

Bennett added that he hated to beat a dead horse but felt it was a good idea to notify DEQ and VDH when they were back in compliance to ensure the Service Authority didn't continue to receive NOVs. He also brought up a concern about making such great progress but without a clear picture on the cost. He said he would like to get a better idea of how things were operating and if they were within the expected budget. Dr. Young, County Administrator, said he shared his concerns and that the County as a whole was in a bit of a grey area due to the audit but that he would stress to his staff that we need to know some numbers to ensure things are on track.

Brabo added that when she first started on the Board eight years ago, Service Authority meetings lasted two to five minutes and there was no real reporting being done. She said she had the General Manager's Report added to the Agenda two years ago and Hingley has shown there's a huge difference in reporting then versus now. Brabo said she appreciates the knowledge Hingley gives to the Board and that because they're not experts, they rely heavily on the General Manager and staff. She said it's disturbing to learn that we were misled but refreshing to have such an honest report. Brabo also said that she learned from Binder that Service Authority staff never attended and was glad to see them in the audience again tonight.

The Board went into Closed Session at 7:46pm and invited Dr. Young, Eric Gregory, Dan Hingley, Jeff Bueche, John Jenkins, and Sheriff Dempsey to participate.

They returned from Closed Session at 8:04pm and adjourned afterwards.

Meeting Attendees:
Christopher Werle (Chairman, Board of Directors)
Dan Hingley (Interim General Manager of Service Authority)
Richard Granger (Board of Supervisors)
Michael Bennett (Citizen)
Ruby Brabo (Board of Supervisors)
Cathy Binder (Board of Supervisors)
Neiman Young (County Administrator)
Eric Gregory (County Attorney)

Meeting Agenda

Next Meeting:
The Service Authority will next meet on September 18, 2018 at 6:30 pm at the Revercomb Building.

Previous Meeting:
Read about the previous Service Authority Meeting.

2018-09-04 - Mixed Use Development Public Notice